With Apple’s debut of Boot Camp public beta, Intel-based Mac users currently must purchase a copy of Windows XP from an office supply or other retail store and install it themselves. Yesterday, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, stated in the Boot Camp press release, “Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware now that we use Intel processors. We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch.”
Despite Schiller’s statement, we have heard rumors that Apple plans to sell bona fide installation discs for Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Home and Professional in the company’s growing network of retail stores. This rumor is unconfirmed and it is unclear at this time if Apple plans to display Windows XP boxes on Apple Retail Store shelves or simply kept on hand in the stock room for customers asking for the product. It does make some sense, after all, why send customers to Best Buy when Apple can sell it to them instead?
Apple has no plans to support Windows XP on Macs, this would simply be a convenience to Apple Retail Store customers. We have not heard that Apple’s online store will offer installation discs for Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Home and Professional.
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Related article:
How to run Microsoft Windows XP on an Intel-based Macintosh with Boot Camp – April 05, 2006
Uhh. . . . kind of sends shivers down your spine.
@moiety5
Damned straight it does.
I really just can’t see it going that far. People are getting totally bent out of shape over this XP thing.
do NOT start selling xp…..this is only encouraging ppl to try out xp if they don’t have it already. and if they have it already, then they wont need to buy it in an apple store.
To Enderle:
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
Kill them from inside out.
You know, this website is getting worse and worse, passilng on rumors of this quality? Sheesh. Why don’t you just tell them about how apple is opening a store on Mars next month? Rumor has it we will.
Bozos.
bullsh!t
Hey, if it’s a deciding factor for someone about to buy a Mac, then sell them a copy for pete’s sake. They’ll eventually start using OS X more and more (especially when Apple release a Security Update that disables the booting of XP
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I’d rather 100m people have Windows PC’s ie Macs, that CAN run Windows.
For example, Apple can introduce a new variation on the Windows blue screen of death: It’ll say something like: “Now if you would just like to switch your computer over to OS X you can avoid all problems like this one! CLICK HERE.”
No one will use XP/VISTA as their main OS if they have access to OS X that IS clear (except to Dvorak of course).
MW=art ie “while Apple makes art, MS makes shite”
This whole thing is interesting. I guess the next “Battle of the Operating Systems” will be fought not on PC’s (Apple isn’t realeasing OS X for PC) but on Mac systems. Safe for Apple, OS X lovers aren’t about to switch to Windows, and MS can’t claim Apple is competing directly with them. If anything Apple can say to MS, “Hey, we just opened up a market for YOU!” Steve Jobs is fearless to try this kind of thing, he’s bringing the fight home to compete on his own turf. Takes Balls.
Who cares? Let ’em sell it. Apple made XP just another application and Microsloth just another software company. Everyone needs to change their thinking here….the new definition of an OS is now the software that coordinates OSX, Windows, Linux, etc.
Want to blow your mind? What if Apple licenses Windows and installs it alongside OSX on the next generation of machines?
This is a shot aimed at hardware makers, not Microsloth.
absolute bollicks. this will never happen.
Macaday:
“For example, Apple can introduce a new variation on the Windows blue screen of death: It’ll say something like: “Now if you would just like to switch your computer over to OS X you can avoid all problems like this one! CLICK HERE.”
LOL!
It’s funny, but a brillaint idea & perfectly feasible. What better way to show Windows users what they’re missing, than to have each OS side-by-side, and to point out how much better Mac OS X is as the most opportune moment – i.e. after a crash!
Why don’t Apple release a virus-catcher for Intel Mac’s that you use on the Windows boot, and it could say something like,” Apple Virus-Catcher has found 20 viruses, 16 worms, from a potential virus list of 85,000. We cannot guarantee that we will remove them all. If you would like to completely eradicate viruses from this computer, click here.” (And then it boots into OS X).
One thing they will need inside each store — a display Mac with Boot Camp and a full working version of XP. People will need to see it to believe it.
I can see online resellers like CDW that sell both Mac stuff and Windows crap having a special offer like a windows XP disc for only $50 with purchase of new intel Mac. They might even offer to install it for the customer provided that wouldn’t violate any agreement with Apple.
Caruso ~
Yea, you are absolutely right. If Apple stores sell XP, then everybody is happy. Micro$oft is making a profit and so is Apple.
Micro$oft is a software company – Ballmer probably realizes the padded walls he bought to protect them from flying chair was a waste of money since he sees how Jobs has saved his ass again…
I hate Microshaft so much. I wish they’d just die. I want them to go away. It’ stinks so much that we have the superior stuff and yet Winblows is dominant. It’s so counterintuitive (if I’m spelling that right)
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Sometimes it just feels like we’re losing every little battle. Now we’ll have winblows on our macs.
Sorry I’m just whining and you’re the only people who understand…
Anyway it’s still great to have a Mac!
Apple needs to get mac computers into homes so people can fiddle around with OS X.
Now folks can have a safety net in being able to run windows.
Now there is an Intel iMac sitting there ( that can run windows) and people can now try out Safari to surf and iMovie to make movies, and slowly they start to ween off windows and use OS X more and more.
Wishful thinking? I hope the plan works.
The Apple Stores ALREADY SELL Windows XP Pro. They sell Virtual PC and Office 2004 Professional Edition which includes Virtual PC and a copy of Windows XP Pro. It’s also available on the Apple web site, so I don’t see what the big deal is.
hmm. Doesnt Apple already(for a long time now) sell windows with VPC?
What if Microsoft decides not to allow XP to be installed on Apple hardware?
I just really hope that OSX does not go away. I realise Apple has invested craploads of money in iLife, Pro Apps and others (Keynote, Remote Desktop, etc…) but this is just worrying me a little.
Meh, probably unwarranted…
MDN Magic Word: shown, “Apple has shown the world it’s ready to win the fight.”
“Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware now that we use Intel processors,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch.”
“What if Microsoft decides not to allow XP to be installed on Apple hardware?”
Let’s see….there are so many takes on this one…where does one begin?
Let’s see… Microsoft is a “software” company, not hardware…so there is not an issue with competition…
Apple is not saying, “Come all you who have Intel Macs and dual boot our copy of “bootlegged” XP and enjoy the superiority of OS X with your complimentary imitation software!”
If M$ does not allow its operating system to be ran on someone elses hardware, then it has to be a decision of conscience and not one of profitability (and should merit them a Nobel peace prize).
Furthermore, if it does not allow its OS to be ran on Apple’s software, then it has conceded the OS war… (Of course everyone knows that M$ sucks, including M$ themselves….)
This will never happen.
Apple will also never have intel inside.
Neither will Apple ever release a two buttoned mouse.
…or a headless Mac for under $500
So calm down, this will never happen.
What’s the big deal? They sold VPC with every flavor of Windows for a long time.
I see no reason why not. Microsoft has an entire Mac division and it’s helping apple benefit from the Office package.
Ya know, intellectually, rationally, I can get behind this whole thing. I use XP a lot because I have to, and I must admit that, except for security, it is an ok product in most respects.
BUT, when I actually see the picture of XP on an iMac, I kinda throw-up a little, you know, in the back of my throat…
Can’t see Apple doing this until the next version of OS X which can run Windows XP within Mac OS X using Intel’s virtualization technology. Once we have that the only need for Boot Camp would be if someone doesn’t want to use OS X at all or maybe to run games with.
At that point it will be great for switchers – they can buy the Mac that they always wanted with a great OS and great software BUT they can still use their old software on the same desktop too.
1. They drop PPC…
2. Phil Sucker Schiller lies saying Apple won’t prevent you from installing Windows, no they will help you do this with Boot Camp!
3. Now they want to sell Windows in an Apple Retail Store!!
What’s next?
Hopefully, I have an AMD box with FreeBSD 5 and X Window.
If this keeps getting THAT silly, boy, are we leaving OS X land in a couple of years…
Apple is already supporting Windows on the Mac. What else is Boot Camp all about?
I think everyone may be missing something. How about I’m a business user…I use a PC. I’m a home user I use a mac. Now I have a MacBook Pro that allows me to operate both systems. I purchase Apple hardware. Install both. Now all my work & play computing experiences on one system.
Hit the road with the office and home computer as one entity.
turano
Big Deal.
Who really cares where you can buy XP.
If they sell it, they’ll have to have technical support to go along with it. They won’t be able to use the excuse that the user is on his own. If they did that it would cause more hard feelings than good.
So, I vote no – they won’t sell Windows XP in Apple Stores unless they’re going to have Microsoft Certified Techs at the Genius Bar.
Wahahah……now we can buy MS Windows at the same Apple Store!!!
Time to do “little dull tasks” in non “dull beige boxes”
Hell, perhaps it’s true that Apple will ditch OS X in the future and will adopt Windows. Wonder what would happen to Apple Pro Apps. Maybe Final Cut Pro will be substituted with the “iMovie” wannabe included in Vista and will be renamed to Final Crap Pro. Mwhahahahah
Ten years ago Apple was dying. Now we can expect the same theories again. A sell out to MS? Go, Enderle, go…..
I see Windows OS coming as a “build your own” option when you order a new Mac.
I would rather it come already installed and set up then let my mother try to do it.
The question is not whether Apple will support Windows, the question is whether Microsoft will support Windows on Apple hardware. My guess is that they would. I’m not sure what the legalities of this are. Usually, if one purchases an OEM version of Windows (say, with a Dell computer), then the support is up to Dell. If one purchases Windows separately, and installs it on their home-built system, then it’s supported by Microsoft.
*shivers*
I feel dirty
Will never happen.
The whole strategy about boot camp is to get windows users to experience OS X (another trojan horse like the ipod) and switch from windows forever.
Also – I bet a million bucks you aint ever gonna see a mac in an Apple Store running windows either!
The sales assistants may say “it’s can boot windows too”, just so they get the sale, but other than that windows will not be visiable anywhere.
This will never happen. people expect the retail store to support products that they purchase there.
If apple will not support windows, then they will never sell it. The Genius bar would be flooded with fixing spyware problems and virus’s. And if Apple refused to fix the problems, then it would cause unhappy customers.
NEVER HAPPEN.
Rumor my ass. I thought this idea up yesterday… on this very site:
>>>”Mossberg concludes, “Whether you want to run Mac or Windows programs, an Apple computer may be the only computer you’ll need.””
Mossberg’s got it right. What has effectively happened today is Macintosh ceases to exist. The iMac etc is just another PC – which happens to run this thing call OS X. Hardware-wise – as of today – there IS no Macintosh anymore!
It wont be long before Apple drops the ‘Macintosh’ brand name altogether – firstly from its hardware and then from its software. The alternative OS that Windows people find on their Apple PC will simply be called Apple OS X.
Why? because ‘Macintosh’ is just a name – and an old name which has become an obstacle to Apple and its ambitions – with a legacy of negative associations amongst the PC masses that is hard to shift. This is why Apple have held back at throwing millions of dollars “up-hill -advertising”(TM) a product name just to leverage people’s perceptions towards – at the very best – a less negative idea of what the “Macintosh” might be. Wouldn’t it be better for Apple to rapidly establish a (pedigreed) presence in the PC market and then start REALLY throwing its massive reserves at advertising only “Apple OS X*” (*Apple PC required)?
Expect Windows OS package displays in all Apple Stores soon.<<<
The Mac is dead… long live the Mac.
re: ppc
1. They drop PPC…
2. Phil Sucker Schiller lies saying Apple won’t prevent you from installing Windows, no they will help you do this with Boot Camp!
3. Now they want to sell Windows in an Apple Retail Store!!
What’s next?
Hopefully, I have an AMD box with FreeBSD 5 and X Window.
If this keeps getting THAT silly, boy, are we leaving OS X land in a couple of years…
—–
1. Dropped PPC because IBM could not produce what they promised.
2. Phil didnt lie he said exactly what is happening – ‘Apple will not stop anyone installing windows on macs’ – that is exactly what is happening now with boot camp. Apple won’t support windows, but you can install it.
So if youre crazy enough to install windows – then it’s down to you, dont expect any help when it goes wrong.
3. Apple will never sell windows in it’s stores (see my post above for why).
The Apple retail presence is one of the best advertisements for the Mac experience there is… (software, support, peripherals, pleasant smart ppl… string quartet, even). Accordingly, giving consumers one more reason to go there is a smart move.
Seriously, do you think a win user that’s going into a Apple store to buy a Mac is doing so b/c they are heading toward a deeper commitment to MS?
Do you think selling windows in an Apple store will cause Mac users to migrate to windows?
Further prognostications:
w/i twleve mos…
aapl will be above 6% global marketshare
stock will go above $100 and split
if you’re not a millionaire by this time next year, it’s your own fault.
re: Twenty Benson
Rumor my ass. I thought this idea up yesterday… on this very site:
>>>”Mossberg concludes, “Whether you want to run Mac or Windows programs, an Apple computer may be the only computer you’ll need.””
Mossberg’s got it right. What has effectively happened today is Macintosh ceases to exist. The iMac etc is just another PC – which happens to run this thing call OS X. Hardware-wise – as of today – there IS no Macintosh anymore!
It wont be long before Apple drops the ‘Macintosh’ brand name altogether – firstly from its hardware and then from its software. The alternative OS that Windows people find on their Apple PC will simply be called Apple OS X.
Why? because ‘Macintosh’ is just a name – and an old name which has become an obstacle to Apple and its ambitions – with a legacy of negative associations amongst the PC masses that is hard to shift. This is why Apple have held back at throwing millions of dollars “up-hill -advertising”(TM) a product name just to leverage people’s perceptions towards – at the very best – a less negative idea of what the “Macintosh” might be. Wouldn’t it be better for Apple to rapidly establish a (pedigreed) presence in the PC market and then start REALLY throwing its massive reserves at advertising only “Apple OS X*” (*Apple PC required)?
Expect Windows OS package displays in all Apple Stores soon.<<<
The Mac is dead… long live the Mac.
—-
CRAP.
What drugs are you on???
Explain to my why you would sell a rivial company’s product in your own store which by doing so would reduce the sales of your own equivalent product?
You obviously know fcuk all about business mate.
Petey, thank you for the frank injection of some reason.
To all those who think Apple is selling its soul with Boot Camp, get a grip!
People said Apple was selling its soul when it dropped NuBus for PCI back in the early 1990s, for crying out loud!
People said Apple was selling out when it abandoned the 68xxx chip and partnered with *gasp* IBM to run Macs on PowerPC!
People said the Mac OS was dead because Apple buried that fine Mac OS 9 and went with UNIX-based derivative of the NeXT OS!
Ye of little faith, please stop bitching about how every move Apple makes is the end of the world, when Apple has only made life better and better for Mac users over the years! Boot Camp is no different than when Apple started bundling the X11 windowing system with Mac OS X, which caused the Linux crowd to adopt the Mac in drove.
I’ve had to use XP at work for the last year, it’s not that bad. It’s very close to older versions of OSX without all of the shine. I was surprised at how much of OS X was already there. I’m on a corporate box so all of the Virus and Malware concerns are never seen by me the user. I can download almost everything I like about OS X from several sites and apply skins to look the same and almost act the same. I usually forget I’m on a PC. I’ve even discovered a few XP things I wish OS X had, such as screen resizing, deleting of files, and the Explorer (being able to delete a duplicate file before saving and without having to cancel the save is fantasitc!). The screen shots of Vista look promising, I think the fear of people using XP on a Mac and then moving solely to a PC are very real.
hey, when some weenie says “if Macs are so good, how come they’re only a fraction of the market, besides I still need to run (name of some half-ass program developed by kids with Crayolas) on windows” you tell them
” I can’t afford a Ferrari, but neither can you “
” I can’t afford Harvard, but neither can you “
” I can’t afford Jessica Alba, but neither can you “
” but I can afford a Mac, and now, you can’t afford not to !!! “
I don’t see at all what the big deal is.
Boot Camp is going to be a major showpiece for Mac OS X 10.5. Simply offering XP (and subsequently, Vista) for sale online and at Apple retail establishments would merely be a convenience for tech-saavy people wanting to try out the myriad of functionalities available to them after purchasing their new computers.
Your average joe recent mac switcher-type won’t bother hunting down the required software to dual-boot, anyway, no matter how simple the process is (it still sounds intimidating).
Please, people. Nobody is dumb enough to buy a Mac and only run a Microsoft operating system on it, because that completely negates the purpose of owning one. People buy them for OS X, and all the little bells and whistles (like this issue) are just one of many draws.